With Bluetooth technology, it seems everyone now has a pair of earbuds with no visible cords that can connect to a phone safely hidden in your pocket. They are extremely popular and students using them in school is becoming a problem. Earbuds are easily hidden and can distract students from doing classwork and listening to teachers during school. Because of this growing problem, there is a rule against wearing earbuds during school hours in the SR&R, yet students still use them, despite knowing the rule.
The FCPS SR&R states clearly that any phone accessories, including, AirPods, earbuds, headphones, headsets, and any other items connected to the phone, should be put away when phone use is prohibited. Since that’s the entire school day, students should never be seen with earbuds in their ears.
“The school board made this rule,” explained Principal Dr. Jim Patrick. “It’s in SR&R so we’ve been following that. They were just treated like technology use.”
However, many students believe that this rule is unreasonable.
“I think that [students] should be able to use AirPods and that the school should just let them be responsible for their actions,” said 7th grader Mila M., who would use her earbuds often if they were allowed.
Studies have revealed that listening to music can lead to positive mood changes and increased creativity. Some people also say that music can help them focus by blocking out distractions and keeping them motivated. Even in hallways, students listen to music to block out all of the noise.
On the other hand, one study found that the louder the music, the worse the cognitive performance, and that silence was proven to be the best environment for working.
Sometimes, it’s not just about the music. Earbuds have been disrupting student learning and teaching because students can easily conceal earbuds since they can be covered by long hair and hoodies. When teachers are teaching, students with earbuds in are likely not listening to instructions. That might also explain part of the reason why the rule against wearing hoods was created. Students still find ways to cover their ears despite the school’s strong attempts.
“Teachers can easily see that you are wearing headphones so it makes it very hard to use them while the teacher is talking,” said 8th grader Joshua L. “Headphones and earbuds are drastically different.”
Even when no music is involved, earbuds do more than just play music. You can hear notifications on your phone, and other distractions that could prevent giving your classes your full.
“I think the challenge with that is like I can get on board with this idea that maybe we could listen to music while we’re working independently and that might be relaxing. I think the problem is the way that they’ve become so connected to every part of our phones. It’s not just some of those easier things like listening to music. I think it’s just too tempting to stay connected to all those other things and all those other apps,” said principal Dr. Patrick.
Wearing them when teachers are lecturing is, of course, against the rules, but students don’t seem to care and still use them in school when they aren’t supposed to.
Earbuds can be good and bad for students in school. They can motivate students to study, but they can also distract them when working. Sometimes, the problem isn’t about how focused they are when working, but how focused they are when teachers speak. This is still an ongoing problem in schools that should be taken into consideration by both teachers and students.
